Solar Plates - Fun and Frustration

solar plate Relief technique

Last weekend I participated in a wonderful workshop on solar plate technique given by Candace Nicol, the Oxbow Press executive director. Solar plates combines the ease of digital printing or drawing with intaglio and relief printing processes. The steps are fairly simple - print or draw your design on a sheet of transparency (you know, that clear plastic stuff your teacher used with a projector in class?) then take a piece of solar plate, arrange your image on top, expose the plate and the image to light, then wait for the plate to cure in the sun and print! To create my images I used several different media on my transparency. Permanent marker and black India Ink were the most successful "light blockers" and produced very nice sharp lines. Computer printed images worked well also but I greatly increased the contrast and darkness of my images.

creating transparencies on the light table

detail of intaglio solar plate print

I created some beautiful images and the process was so fast it took me more time to decide what I wanted to draw than it did to expose and print my plates. However, one thing I found frustrating was my inability to add to the plate after exposure. Once the photo-sensitive material is exposed to light there is no way to alter it again, unless you carve it out or cut it off of it's metal backing - neither of which provides the beautifully subtle lines that intaglio solar plate features. To create a relief plate you only expose the solar plate once, to create an intaglio plate you expose twice - first with an "aquatinting screen" then your image on transparency. The relief technique allows for bold lines and designs while the intaglio plates afford delicacy, detail, and washes.

this is an intaglio solar plate

Regardless of my frustration I learned a lot and appreciate the technology. For now I think I'll stick to etching and use solar plate on the side. On  that note I will be teaching an Intro to Intaglio class this coming weekend. If you're interested in learning about copper plate etching and aquatint you can sign up for the class here. Otherwise I am also attending the Reno Chamber Orchestra concerts this weekend - Saturday at 7pm and Sunday at 2pm. Student and youth tickets are only $5 and this performance will feature some great music.

ta da! the finished print

Hope to see you there! Always remember guests are welcome at Oxbow Press to tour the facility and meet our monitors and resident artists. :)